The world faces many crises today, but none as pressing as Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.
The fate of the Ukrainian people in their own country truly portends the happiness of democratic rule and self-determination throughout the world.
It is a message Americans cannot tire of, and as a nation we must resolve to see this fight through, not just on behalf of Ukraine, but for the promise of freedom everywhere.
In Dallas on Monday, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared that message with a lunch gathering that included Sen. John Cornyn and former NATO ambassador and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. He met with former President George W. Bush that morning and was scheduled to meet with Governor Greg Abbott later in the week.
Bush, Cornyn, Hutchison and Abbott have all been steadfast in their support for the Ukrainian cause.
But we worry about a tribe of isolationist and Russian-satisfied conservatives who would see the United States walk away from this critical mission and abandon our necessary, if difficult, role as the world’s foremost defender of democracy.
Whatever anyone thinks about domestic politics in the UK, Johnson is absolutely right to come to this country and into the heart of conservative Texas to stress how vital it is that we continue to support Ukraine.
“How can a conservative support the eradication of democracy and freedom in a sovereign European country? How can that possibly be a conservative value?” he asked.
The answer is that it cannot be. The soul of conservatism is freedom from the heavy boot of the state.
Ukraine is currently in an existential war. If it loses and Russia wins, it will signal to tyranny the world over that with a strong enough conventional force and the threat of a nuclear arsenal, the sovereignty of other nations is meaningless.
If Ukraine wins, it signals that free nations will not tolerate the destruction of a democratic nation.
America cannot lose heart or interest in this war. The fate of Ukraine foreshadows the future of the world.
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